Style of Design

Our friends from Abitare shared this cool noodle shop designed by ISSHO Architects with us. Located in central Tokyo, the ‘soba’ noodle shop has Machiya-style wooden louvers, invoking a traditional Japanese townhouse.  The varying depth of each louver creates a textured sensation across the facade.  Regionally different patterns of light spill through the façade from the interior, allowing a gradual change of character at dawn, especially as viewed from the main street.  The facade aesthetic is modified on the interior’s ceiling as white curved panels contrast the concrete and wood dinning areas to soften the space.  A minimalistic residential apartment for the owner sits above the noodle shop.

More images after the break.

Images photographed by KOICHI TORIMURA

Our friends from Abitare shared this cool noodle shop designed by ISSHO Architects with us. Located in central Tokyo, the ‘soba’ noodle shop has Machiya-style wooden louvers, invoking a traditional Japanese townhouse.  The varying depth of each louver creates a textured sensation across the facade.  Regionally different patterns of light spill through the façade from the interior, allowing a gradual change of character at dawn, especially as viewed from the main street.  The facade aesthetic is modified on the interior’s ceiling as white curved panels contrast the concrete and wood dinning areas to soften the space.  A minimalistic residential apartment for the owner sits above the noodle shop.

More images after the break.

Images photographed by KOICHI TORIMURA

We’ve shown you a lot of weird looking homes lately. Upside-down ones, weird-shaped projects from unconventional materials, built in strange places and on unusual terrains. It would be a little out of line to say that this place was inspired by something in the culinary area, however the Sandwich House follows our list of original living spaces. The residence was designed by Ryoichi Kojima and it is located in Tokyo. The actual living area is suspended between two giant white walls a few feet above the ground. How is this for unconventional? We really like how the place looks and also the wood and concrete combination. The interiors are modern and staircases connect the three floors. Would you like to live in a home like this or do you find it to be too out of line?- via Totonko

Here at Inhabitat we’ve seen technologies that capture carbon dioxide in everything from concrete to artificial trees to DVDs. Now chemists at UCLA have developed a new type of synthetic crystal this is capable of trapping the greenhouse gas 400% more efficiently than similar materials. The crystals were made using a breakthrough technique that “codes” information into their structure much like DNA, allowing researchers to tailor them to soak up carbon dioxide with incredible efficiency.

Read the rest of Chemists Develop Ultra-Efficient Carbon Capturing Crystals

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Post tags: carbon capture, co2 trapping crystals, crystal sponges, green design, green materials, omar m. yaghi, sustainable design, synthetic crystals, ucla

These luxurious interior decorative paneling by Total are ushering in a new generation of wall coverings. Dubbed “Gold,” these lavish-looking wall panels are certainly a treasure to the trend-spotters out there. And the nice thing about this contemporary collection is you can create a rich interior without the sky-high price tag. Fashion a feature wall that really grabs your attention! Give your fireplace a little healthy competition and surround it in Gold Nitrate panels for a look that really shines. A foyer finished with this stylish wall paneling will create a wonderful welcome home for you and your guests. Even the bathroom gets a new look with these modern wall panels. If gold isn’t your thing, this line has something for everyone – the look of wood, concrete and stone, available in a range of colors. Check out this cool decorative collection at Total Panel System.

Located in a beautiful natural area, surrounded by hills, this project comes from architect George Balan and it is the type of residence that is beautifully integrated in its environment. The concrete and wooden exterior makes for a fantastic camouflage and the finishes  are weather resistant.  The interior is wide and spacious, with walls made of wood and marble, in order to create a very natural feel.  Strategically placed windows allow its inhabitants to make the most of the surrounding views. The furniture is modern and the interior design elegant and stylish. Away from the city noise, it almost seems like this place is calling out for an escapade. Quite a nice summer hideout, don’t you think? – via O casa pe zi

From General Design, T2 is an original architecture project located in Tokyo, Japan. The two leaning structures are made of concrete and serve as guidelines, directing the costumers towards the ground floor. A stairway leads them to the rest of the retail store. Here is some information from the architects about the idea behind this project :The shape of the building is a result of aiming at a strong volume with a sense of existence while applying to the architecture regulatory control.” The leaning shops are definitely the kind of construction that makes you want to stop while in a hurry and take a closer look. We hope this is also the case with the population of Tokyo, the proud owners of this design. -via

© Paul Kozlowski

Architects: N+B Architectes / Elodie Nourrigat & Jacques Brion
Location: Morieres Les Avignon, France
Project Manager: Elodie Nourrigat & Jacques Brion
Client: Conseil General du Vaucluse
Project Area: 8,500 sqm
Budget: 13M€
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Paul Kozlowski

roof plan

The massive stone of the implemented stone in a determinedly contemporary writing offers a complementary material and a depth to the concrete which usually can seem too smooth and cold. A real dialogue is born in the material. So buildings gets organized according to volumes registered under wide folds in concrete which roll about with it around them. The “VERS” stone establishes sides façades of folds in concrete. It offers a thermal slowness and gives rhythm to facades. The volume of the multipurpose room marks the entry of the middle school, at the end of the alignment of trees of the esplanade. It floats above the internal square serving at the same time as signal and as shelter for pupils.

© Paul Kozlowski

The middle school compound itself of different built entities which correspond to the different functions and scale of the program.

Normally, when a building is blown up, we all expect it to turn into a huge mass of dust and small materials. This was not the case with this particular tower in Liuzhou, a city located in the Guangxi Province, China. Instead of being destroyed completely after the explosion, the construction was broken in half and the giant masses of concrete fell to the ground. Luckily, no one was hurt. However, questions will probably rise concerning the firm that took in this challenge and its competence. The building was taken down eventually in order for other projects to be completed.  We also uploaded a video of the demolition fail, for a better understanding of what happened. -via

The glass tower by Eric Owen Moss Architects is posed to be encourage a re-development in South Central Los Angeles. The building has been in planning since the nineties but was stalled for some years until it was re-designed in 2006 as a single tower.

A rail line installed nearby spurred the redesign. The structure is part of the redevelopment of South Central LA, an area plagued with poverty and violence for many years. The project was originally conceived of with a structural strategy, consisting of curvilinear ribbons wrapping two main volumes.

The new design remains very similar with the same ribbon theme, but as a single volume. as the area’s only high-rise, office tenants will enjoy wide, open views of the city. a train stop sits directly outside the building, but car parking was also a main concern for the architects. The aforementioned ribbon scheme provides the building’s structure, making each floor completely open. The ribbons are made from steel tubes filled with concrete. Each floor was the same flexible plan but comes in three distinct heights of 13, 16 and 24 feet, to offer further flexibility.

Seen at designboom. More images after the break.